The decision to bring order to the monument of the Unknown Soldier, following the end of Panos Routsis’ hunger strike, was made at the Maximos Mansion last week. Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided that the final say on the maintenance and protection of the monument—overcoming the fragmentation of responsibilities—should rest with the Ministry of National Defense, which is the most appropriate body due to its connection with the Presidential Guard. According to reports, Mitsotakis coordinated this move with Nikos Dendias.

On the road to the next elections, Mr. Mitsotakis has made a strategic decision, according to his associates: to direct the government’s communication toward a large segment of society that appears willing to listen to New Democracy. Obviously, policies will be pursued for society as a whole, but the primary focus will be on the traditional electoral base of New Democracy—the one that delivered the 40% vote share in the 2019 and 2023 elections.

According to analysis within the Prime Minister’s circle, a large portion of these citizens reject anarchy in public spaces and the degradation of national symbols such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While they fully respect a father’s struggle for his child, they are repelled by the image that has been formed in the public sphere in recent times.

Of course, the burden now falls on the government to implement its declared intentions. The legislative regulation being prepared at the Maximos Mansion—and expected in the coming days—will abolish the regime of “broken” competences around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, though the responsibility for guarding will remain with the police. In other words, tanks will not roll out to defend the monument, as implied by opposition figures and Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, who spoke of a “Trump-like” approach, drawing parallels with the deployment of the National Guard in many U.S. cities.

“The Monument of the Unknown Soldier belongs to all Greeks—men and women—as a place of remembrance for those who fought for our country’s freedom, but also as a symbol of what unites us in the face of existential dangers to the nation. It’s time to leave it outside the daily political tug-of-war that clouds and diminishes memory, creating unnecessary and artificial divisions,” wrote Minister of State Akis Skertsos meaningfully on Facebook yesterday.
“Are monuments, such as that of the Unknown Soldier, places for any kind of protest? Our answer is clear: No!” emphasized Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis in the same tone.

As New Democracy seeks to rally its forces amid political fragmentation, Mr. Mitsotakis aims—through political and communication initiatives—to remind citizens of the core principles on which New Democracy was elected in 2019 and 2023. Given the large number of undecided voters, most of whom come from ND’s base, Mitsotakis is looking for ways to “speak again” to an audience that once supported the party but has since grown distant, though without having closed the door completely.